


The Time Alec and Magnus Got A Second Kid

by heartsdesire456



Series: Max Two 'Verse [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Parenthood, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:23:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7439096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a little Nephilim boy is rescued from years of abuse at the hands of a vampire, Alec and Magnus become temporary caregivers for the child while the Shadowhunters try to find any family the child may have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Alec and Magnus Got A Second Kid

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: My Spanish probably is wrong. It isn't google translate levels of wrong I hope, but as you guys have probably picked up by now, my Spanish is pretty bad. I _know_ Spanish... mostly.... poorly. So yeah. Feel free to correct me on my craptastic Spanish because I am not a native speaker, I learned that language second.

There were a lot of things Alec had seen in his not-so-long life that were unexpected, messed up, and downright horrifying. He knew Magnus probably had seen some of the worst parts of life before with his own two eyes in his long life. Situations involving children were always the worst. 

While this one was not on par with a murdered werewolf child, it wasn’t far behind.

Alec couldn’t look away from the little boy sitting outside the Institute with Magnus’s friend – Raphael – sitting beside him. He had shown up with a little boy and a bloody cheekbone not long after sundown. Currently the child was wearing his jacket japed around him while Raphael kept an arm around him. He had told them what had happened and wouldn’t leave to let them take the child inside until Magnus arrived, which Alec understood and was grateful for. 

He watched them conversing quietly with Jace and James beside him as they waited as well. Finally a pop sounded and a portal appeared. Magnus stepped out with Max at his side, and Max immediately saw the boy and looked scared. “Papa, why is that boy crying?” he asked, and Alec walked over, holding out his hand to Max.

“Come here, Blueberry. Papa has to talk to Raphael for a little while before he can tell us what’s made the boy sad,” he answered. He looked over to Jace. “Can you take Max inside?” he asked, and Jace nodded. Alec leaned down and hugged Max. “Max, go with Uncle Jace and me and Papa will be in very soon. We just need to talk to Raphael and the sad boy, okay?”

Max nodded, looking worriedly over at the boy on the steps as he took Jace’s hand and let him lead him inside. Magnus watched until they were through the door and then started over to Raphael. Alec and James followed and Magnus immediately knelt down beside them, looking at Raphael. “What’s going on?” he asked, only to gasp when the boy lifted his head.

Alec felt his stomach turn when he saw the _bite marks_ all over the child’s neck. “By the Angel.”

Raphael leveled Magnus with a look, carefully moving his hands to cover the child’s ears. “Camille,” he said in a voice full of disgust, fear, loathing, and rage all at once, and Alec flinched.

When they started dating, somewhere along the way, Magnus’s past relationships had come up. At the time, Alec had been really surprised there were so few for how old Magnus was. Even knowing Magnus’s reputation as the type to just have fun, not date, he had expected more relationships than the few Magnus actually ever had. Magnus had explained how when he fell, he fell hard and fast – something Alec was an example of – and how, after he ended up with a broken heart, he was unable to love again for a very long time. When Magnus told him that his last relationship had been over a century ago and that she had been cruel and horrible to Magnus, Alec had taken an instant loathing towards this woman he had never met. When Magnus revealed that it was Camille Belcourt, the real head of Raphael’s clan, Alec had always feared the day that would come back to haunt them.

“This is the best proof you’ll ever get she is breaking the Accords just like we’ve known a long time,” Magnus said, though his eyes never left the boy’s face. A crinkle appeared between his eyebrows and he tilted his head. “Raphael, is he-“

“Nephilim,” Raphael confirmed and Alec and James shared a look.

“Wait, Nephilim? What?!” James asked, and Raphael nodded.

Raphael lowered his hands and rested his arm back around the child. “He does not speak English. He does not remember his last name. He is not sure his name is really his name. She has been called him Rafael, so she could just be calling him that because of me, some sick roleplay.” He looked up with rage in his eyes. “She has been making him clean for her and serve her like a slave, and she has been feeding on him. He does not remember anything before she killed his parents. He does not know how long that has been.”

The little boy, Rafael, looked at the adults around him and slid closer to Raphael. “ _Quiénes son?_ ”

“ _Somos amigos, lo prometo_ ,” Magnus said gently.

James frowned. “What are they saying?” he asked Raphael.

Alec answered before Raphael could. “He wants to know who we are and Magnus reassured him we’re friends.”

Raphael looked at Alec with a small nod. James raised an eyebrow and Alec shrugged. “Just because my Spanish is bad doesn’t mean I didn’t learn the same as my sister.”

“Spanish is my second language, after my native language,” Magnus offered. “So I’ve got this.”

James nodded. “Of course. But let’s take him inside where he can get warm at least.” He looked to Raphael. “Thank you. We’ll find her and arrest her immediately. Thank you for reporting her, even if she is your clan mate.”

Raphael snarled. “She is a monster who makes us all targets when all we want is to live. She is a threat to every vampire in this city. We do not harm the innocent, and especially not children. She will pay for all she has done finally.”

“ _Vamos para adentro_ ,” Magnus suggested to the boy and he looked at Raphael, who nodded.

“ _Él es mi amigo de mayor confianza,_ ” Raphael said to him, and James looked to Alec, who mumbled to himself some and then leaned over to James.

“Magnus told the kid we should go inside and I think Raphael told him he can trust Magnus because they’re friends,” Alec said, shrugging some when James looked at him. “I really suck at Spanish,” he added and James nodded.

Raphael stood and helped the boy up. He removed his jacket from the little boy’s shoulders and Magnus pulled him into his side when he shivered. “I found him in her apartment, so now she probably knows he is gone. We should go after her while she is looking for him,” he told Alec, and James looked at Alec.

“Would you like to go or would you rather stay with the little boy?” he asked, and Alec nodded to the child.

“I’m the dad, so I’d probably better stay with the scared kid. I’ve got some experience you don’t,” he joked and James rolled his eyes, shoving him playfully.

James turned to Raphael and nodded. “Alright, let’s get going.”

“Wait.” They turned and Magnus stepped away from the boy towards the wall and quickly opened them a portal. He nodded to it. “Faster that way. I don’t want that bitch to escape.”

Alec and James went to gather more shadowhunters for James and Raphael to take with them to arrest Camille while Magnus took the little boy inside. Once Alec had seen James and the rest off, he found Magnus in the infirmary with the little boy, holding him on his lap while Ignacia cleaned the freshest bites on his neck and shoulders and looked at all the scars visible on his skinny little arms. Alec’s chest tightened as Magnus whispered something to the child and he nodded and raised his little arms, letting Magnus lift the grimy shirt off of him. His body was so skinny, like he had been kept starved until he was emaciated as he was now. The way Magnus reached up and stroked the poor boy’s hair let him know that Magnus felt the same sort of despair looking at him.

“Is he okay?” Alec asked, and Magnus looked up and smiled tightly.

“She hasn’t given him her blood, so he isn’t a subjugate. I guess since he’s a child, she didn’t have to worry about him running away,” he said, looking back at the little boy. “I think he’s from somewhere in either Chile or Argentina. He asked me why it’s cold this time of year, so he’s from somewhere further down in the Southern Hemisphere. She killed his parents in front of him, but he doesn’t remember living at an Institute so his parents were probably Nephilim who left to the Mundane world. I know a woman here who did that with her daughter,” he added. “It’s not entirely unheard of.”

Alec nodded, coming over to crouch in front of the boy, who was shivering in the cold air as Ignacia cleaned his wounds and examined him. “ _Cuantos años tienes?_ ” Alec asked softly.

“ _Siete, yo creo_ ,” he whispered.

Alec exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his head. “Seven years old,” he muttered, closing his eyes. “He’s only seven.”

Alec felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up with a sad smile for Magnus. Magnus looked back to the little boy, who was looking up at him again. “ _Él es mi esposo. Alec._ ”

He looked at Magnus and then Alec. “ _Esposo?_ ”

Magnus chuckled softly. “ _Mi novio, realmente. No estamos casados._ ”

“Yeah, that one lost me,” Alec said with a glance to Magnus, who just grinned.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, rubbing a hand over the boy’s back. “ _Es tu nombre Rafael?_ ”

“ _Sí_ ,” he replied, nodding.

“Is that really his name, though, or did she just call him that?” Alec asked, and Magnus shook his head subtly.

“It’s what he knows, so it’s what we’ll call him either way.” Magnus looked to Ignacia, who shook her head.

“This poor baby,” she said softly. “He seems alright,” she said to Alec. “He’s malnourished but once these heal, he will be fine as far as that goes. He’s definitely Nephilim though. His healing is accelerated beyond what a Mundane’s would be.”

Alec nodded. “I’ll have them contact Alicante, see if we know anything about any Nephilim from Santiago or Buenos Aires institutes who left the life. His parents may be dead but he might have some other family.”

Ignacia shook her head. “Unlikely. I mean, do you have any other family?” she asked him and he shook his head.

“I have the biggest family of any Shadowhunter I know,” he admitted. “But still, he may have someone. We have to try at least.”

Magnus nodded, stroking Rafael’s hair. “ _Tienes hambre_?” he asked, and Rafael nodded. “We should get him something to eat,” he said, and Alec stood up.

“Ignacia, is he okay to go eat something?” he asked.

“Of course. He’s going to be fine once he has some food.” She stood up and started packing away the medical supplies and Magnus helped Rafael put his shirt back on. “I’ll see about finding some clothes for him so he can take a bath after he eats.”

Magnus helped Rafael stand and looked at him. “You know, some of Max’s clothes might fit him. He’s taller, but he’s probably about the same size with how malnourished he is.” He nodded to Rafael. “If you take him to get some food, I can run home and bring some clothes.”

“Sure,” Alec said, holding his hand out to Rafael. Rafael looked at it in confusion, then looked up at Magnus. 

“ _Está bien,_ ” Magnus said and Rafael reached out to slide his skinny little hand into Alec’s. Alec smiled reassuringly and led him away so he could take him to the kitchen and get him something to eat.

~

When Magnus returned, he found Alec in the kitchen, washing Rafael’s dishes, and trying – adorably, in Magnus’s opinion – to explain that they were going to go let Rafael take a bath. “Se- uh, se toma un- uh- banarse?” Alec tried, and Magnus chuckled, alerting Alec to his presence. Alec turned and sighed. “Oh thank the Angel. I have no idea what I just told him to do,” he said and Magnus smiled.

“Darling, everything you said was wrong,” he informed him with a teasing wink. “Even the wrong word you said was pronounced wrong.” He walked over and leaned against the counter across from where Rafael sat on a barstool. “ _Es hora de bañarte, venga_ ,” he said, nodding towards the door.

Rafael nodded. “Okay,” he said as he slid off the stool carefully. He immediately held up his hand for Magnus, who smiled brightly as he took his hand. He was very relieved that the little boy trusted him well enough already. 

Magnus took him to the bathroom beside Max’s old room so nobody would bother them, and he helped him into the bathtub. Rafael was so scrawny and still looked so ill, but at least he was not as pale after he had something to eat. He made sure the water was plenty warm, since Rafael hadn’t stopped shivering all night. He talked to him while he helped him wash up and Rafael revealed a few things he could tell Alec later, but he didn’t push him. He didn’t want to upset him. When he shampooed Rafael’s hair the way he did Max’s at bath time and then used a cup to rinse his hair out, Rafael spluttered and shook his head as water ran in his face since he didn’t keep it tipped back like Magnus said, making Magnus laugh. He was so relieved when Rafael laughed too.

It was so good to know that a child who had suffered so much trauma was still able to laugh.

After he helped him get out and dry off, he smiled in amusement at the way Max’s clothes fit him. He was a skinny boy, but a good few inches taller than short little Max, so the shirt showed a bit of his belly and the pants showed his ankles, but they were warm and clean, so he didn’t seem too bothered. Magnus made a note to get him some clothes tomorrow, but for tonight, Magnus’s only worry was letting him get some rest so that tomorrow he could start a new day and a new life without the horrors he had faced while Camille had him.

~

Max was asleep on his old bed with Jace dozing in a chair beside the bed, so Magnus carefully woke Jace. “Hey, help me shift Max so this one can sleep on the other side of the bed,” he instructed and Jace nodded. Max’s old bed was small, but Magnus wanted Rafael somewhere comfortable and safe, not in a cold, empty adult’s room. He and Max would both fit fine in the same bed, and being with another child could only make Rafael more comfortable.

Rafael crawled into the bed and looked at Max curiously, eyes flickering over his blue skin, dark blue hair, and his little black horns. He looked at Magnus, who shushed him gently and tucked him in. “ _Él es mi hijo,_ Max,” he explained so that Rafael would know he had no reason to fear Magnus’s child. He looked at Jace. “Stay with them some more, okay? I’ll be back, but I need to go talk to Alec first.”

“Sure,” Jace said, smiling at Rafael as he looked at the adults. “I don’t speak a word of Spanish,” he warned Magnus, who chuckled.

“It’s okay, he’s going to go to sleep.” Magnus told Rafael where he was going and then, when Rafael nodded and rolled over to close his eyes, Magnus couldn’t help but press a kiss to his forehead, too, when he gave Max a kiss before he left. 

When he found Alec, he was talking with Lydia and Isabelle, who had finally returned from patrol. “Magnus,” he said when he saw him. “Where’s he at?” he asked, and Magnus gave a sad smile.

“Put him to bed with Max. The poor baby’s so tired,” he said, shaking his head. He walked right up to Alec and curled his arms around his middle, hiding is face against Alec’s chest. Alec lifted his arms to hold him and Magnus relaxed some. “He’s just a baby and he’s suffered so much.”

Alec kissed his head. “I know. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t go to get her. I knew damn well I’d kill her rather than let her be arrested and put on trial.” Magnus shifted, laying his cheek against Alec’s shoulder as he looked over at the two women. 

“Alec fill you in?” he asked, and Isabelle nodded, looking shaken. 

“How is he? Alec told me about- about what that vampire did to him,” she said, and Lydia shuddered, shaking her head firmly.

Magnus stood straight, allowing his arms to fall as he stepped back, though Alec caught one of his hands and held onto it. He looked at Alec and shook his head. “His mother and father’s names were Victor and Christina. He doesn’t remember his last name. He said they lived in the city, but he didn’t know which one. Camille has had him for two years, he thinks, because he can remember his birthday, June second, and he saw that date pass on the calendar twice since she had him. That’s how he knows his age, I guess.” He bit back the lump in his throat as he looked up at Alec. “He was Max’s age when she took him,” he whispered, and Alec shook his head firmly, eyes shut tight. Magnus squeezed his hand to comfort him.

Isabelle let out a soft sniff and Magnus looked at her, but she didn’t show her emotions. “So we’re looking for South American Shadowhunters who have family or know of someone that left to join the Mundane world whose names were Victor or Christina,” she said, and then turned to Lydia.

“I’ll get right on it,” Lydia said immediately, leaving to go to the main control center.

Isabelle shuddered. “It’s just so horrible. When Alec told me…” She looked at Magnus. “What are the chances he actually has family? We don’t know much about Nephilim who live in the Mundane world.”

Magnus shook his head solemnly. “He doesn’t know anything about this world. Chances are one of his parents was a Mundane, so if the one who joined the Mundane world cut off all ties with whatever family they might have had, it may be impossible to find them. It’s also possible the one who left to join the Mundane world was an orphan who had no reason to stay with the Nephilim. Or their family was horrible, so they fled to the Mundane world. The only Nephilim I know living as a Mundane had an abusive life and took refuge in the Mundane world to find safety.”

Isabelle looked surprised. “You know a Nephilim living as a Mundane? It’s crazy rare, so I’m surprised you know anybody. Do they live here?”

Magnus held up a hand. “I’m not saying anything in detail. I trust you both and love you both, but this person fled a horrible situation and I won’t ever risk it catching up to them,” he said seriously and Alec nodded in understanding. 

“Magnus’s point is that it’s incredibly unlikely he has family, or if he does, that we will find them,” Alec said quietly. “It’s likely he’ll be given to a family in Idris that has children his age. I mean, it’s normal to adopt dead people’s children, look at Jace. It’s just unusual for the people adopting him to be total strangers.”

“But there’s no other choice here,” Magnus finished sadly, and Alec nodded. “For now, let’s just hope we can find his family. We should contact the Mundane authorities in Santiago and Buenos Aires to see if an aunt or uncle has reported him missing. It’s been two years, but they would still have a record of him missing. If he has a Mundane family, we could get him back to them.”

Alec smiled in surprise. “I wouldn’t have even thought of that,” he said, leaning in to kiss Magnus’s temple. “You really are the better half,” he joked and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Of course I’m the better half, Darling, have you seen me?” he said, and Isabelle laughed at them. Magnus was about to make a joke to her about her brother, but the doors behind her flew open with some force and they all looked on as a procession of Nephilim dragged a fighting, raging Camille into the Institute. 

Magnus caught her eyes and she stopped her fighting and smirked, that dangerously, deadly smirk, and winked. “Magnus! Hello, Lover. Are you part of this little attack on the DuMort? And all over one little sweet treat, too. Should’ve killed him before Raphael could find him.”

It took Alec knowing what he was going to do before he even did and grabbing him to stop him from throwing himself at her and ripping her apart with his bare hands. Alec held him tightly as he struggled to get to her. “You fucking monster! I hope they tie you up in the sun and watch you burn, you vile, murderous, bitch! He’s a BABY!” he screamed at her, tears streaking his face in rage at how pleased and amused she looked by it. “Raphael should’ve killed you years ago and I should’ve helped him!”

She just snapped her fangs at him as they dragged her past. “Children don’t fight back and they taste better anyways. Warlock doesn’t taste like Nephilim, but maybe next time I’ll snatch yours from its bed and drain it for you to find in the morning,” she threatened and Magnus saw _red_.

He wrenched himself free of Alec and hurled a blast of magic at her before anybody could stop him, and all the Nephilim holding her jumped out of the way just as she went up in flames right in front of them, screaming as purple fire consumed her, and before anybody could do anything, she burst into an explosion of dust. Three people grabbed Magnus, knocking him to the ground, but Alec quickly ordered them to get away from him.

Magnus lay on the floor crying when Alec scooped him up and held him against his chest. Magnus fisted his hands in Alec’s gear, sobbing. “I didn’t- I’m sorry, I just- She- I couldn’t-“

Alec shushed him, rocking him back and forth. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I know. I know.”

“She threatened Max!” Magnus sobbed, and Alec just continued to shush him as he held him. “Not my baby,” he said firmly, shaking his head. “Never, she can’t hurt him. Not ever. Not my baby.”

Isabelle put a hand on his shoulder. “Magnus, it’s alright. You’re not going to be in trouble. We understand,” she said gently.

He just continued to mumble, “Not my baby,” under his breath while Alec held him. Alec looked up and saw James and several others staring at the pile of dust that was Camille and he just shook his head. James nodded, and after leaving one person to clean up Camille’s remains, he cleared the hallway. 

~

Magnus had gone to stay with the two children after he calmed down, and Alec went to find James. James was sitting in the library with Jace, Raj, Isabelle, Lydia, and Sophia. “Look,” Isabelle was saying. “I know we wanted to question her and put her on trial to get the true scope of all that she’s done on record, but I, for one, am not upset she’s dead.”

“Neither am I,” Raj said. “I’m just saying that we needed to question her and now we’re screwed.

James held up a hand. “Raj,” he said, looking weary. “What’s done is done. And can you blame him? She threatened to find his son and kill him. What if she escaped custody and did that? Now we don’t have to worry about it.”

Alec cleared his throat some as he approached the table. “For the record, if I was the one with magic, I would’ve been the one to do what Magnus did,” he said as he sat down beside James. “I was already reaching for my bow when he lit her on fire, so after what she said, she was about to die either way,” he said firmly. “She threatened to drain my son. If Magnus hadn’t did it, I was going to kill her where she stood. Fuck a trial.”

Raj held up his hands. “Whatever, but your mother might not feel the same way. Inquisitor Lightwood may have something to say about your boyfriend’s actions.”

“Then she can say it,” Alec said coolly. “But my son is safe from her threat, so I don’t really give a damn.” He turned to James. “On to other business, Magnus had an idea that, if the little boy was living in the Mundane world, he may only be half Nephilim so his Mundane parent’s family may still be out there. We should check with missing child reports in Argentina and Chile and see if there’s any matching Rafael.”

James nodded. “Good call. Raj, get on that.”

Raj made a face. “I don’t speak Spanish.”

“The internet translates things for you,” James informed him with a flat look. “Lydia, get in contact with Alicante, see if they’ve got anything on a missing Nephilim child or two murdered people named Victor and Christina in connection with a child. We don’t know how she found them or why she was there since we can’t question Camille, but the important part is that we try to piece together what we have.” He glanced at Alec. “He may just be one child, but we have to do what we can. Can you look after him until we figure something out? You are the only father among us.”

Alec nodded. “Sure. Also, Izzy and Magnus are the only ones fluent in Spanish, so it makes sense.”

“Great,” James said, looking around the table. “Everybody get to work. We have to figure out whatever we can and fast. Once the message to Idris lets them know what we did to Camille Belcourt, someone’s going to come looking for answers and we should probably have some for them.”

~

Alec was exhausted, when he finally got permission to take his family and go home, bringing Rafael with them. He got to Max’s old room and saw Magnus was asleep in his chair but Max and Rafael were sitting on the bed together. Alec was confused, since they didn’t even speak the same language, but when he came closer, he was surprised and impressed to see Max had found one of his picture books and seemed to be trying to read it to Rafael.

“The apple is that red thing,” Max said, pointing to the apple on the page. “Apple.”

Rafael pointed to the same thing. “ _La manzana_?” he asked, and Max pointed again.

“Apple.”

Rafael looked back at the letters. “Ah-pull.” Alec smiled when he realized that Rafael was sounding out the words in English. Rafael noticed Alec and gave a small, nervous smile. “Apple,” he said, pointing to the picture.

Alec nodded, sitting on the end of the bed to face them. “Max, are you trying to teach him English?” he asked, and Max shrugged.

“He doesn’t know any words I do, so I gotta show him some so I can talk to him.” Max looked over at Magnus, who was still asleep. “Dad, why does Papa look so sleepy? He usually wakes up when I’m talking.”

Alec smiled sadly over at the puffiness around Magnus’s eyes. “Papa got upset because of the bad person who hurt Rafael, here. He’s just tired because he had a rough night,” he reassured Max. “The good news is, the bad person won’t hurt Rafael ever again.”

Max looked at the boy beside him. “Why’s his name the same as Raphael?” he asked. 

“Well yours is the same as Max One,” he said and Max giggled, just as he always did when someone called them Max One and Max Two.

“Okay,” he said, turning back to tap Rafael on the arm. Rafael looked at him and he pointed at the picture. “This one is a train.”

Rafael perked up some. “ _Tren_?” he asked, and Max pointed at the letters.

“Train. T-R-A-I-N,” he explained and Rafael followed his little fingers as he sounded out the letters.

“Train,” Rafael repeated, and Max nodded, making Rafael smile slightly again. Alec was always impressed by his son, but to see Max just deciding to teach Rafael some English because he felt like it was such a sweet thing to do.

Alec slid off the bed and went to wake Magnus. Magnus grumbled as Alec stroked his hair, but when he blinked his eyes open he relaxed some. “Alexander,” he breathed and Alec’s stomach tightened the same way it had for years now every time Magnus said his full name. 

“Hey, we can go home and get some rest, now. James wants us to take Rafael with us since he seems attached to you and you speak his language. They’re working on finding out who might be out there for him, but for now, it’s best we keep him with us since we’re the only parents at the Institute,” Alec explained.

Max must’ve heard him, because he said, “Rafael is coming to sleep over? Cool! I got way more books at home!”

Magnus hadn’t noticed the boys yet, so at Max’s words he looked over and frowned in confusion. “Max? What’re you doing?”

“Teaching Rafael some words so I can talk to him,” Max said simply, holding the book up to show them the cover. “I found a baby book to show him some words.”

Magnus looked at their son and then back to Alec, who smirked. “We’ve got an amazing son, huh?” Alec asked and Magnus’s face transformed as his bright, loving smile chased away the sorrow still lingering in his eyes. 

“Amazing’s about right.”

Alec stood up, helping Magnus to his feet. “Alright, let’s get home. I’m exhausted, I know you have to be exhausted, and these kids got a nap at best, they need some real sleep.”

~

Alec woke to the sound of soft whispers and he opened his eyes to see that Magnus had brought both Max and their little guest into the bed with them. They were sitting on Magnus’s side of the bed, Max in his lap and Rafael at his side while Magnus read them a book. Alec smiled across the gap in their large bed between them, watching Magnus try to quietly read to them. 

“What’re you guys doing here?” Alec asked in a hoarse voice before clearing his throat. 

Magnus looked over and gave an apologetic little smile. “Look, you woke up your dad,” he said to Max, who just spared a glance Alec’s way and turned right back, pointing to the next line for Magnus to read.

“Keep reading, he looks sleepy again,” Max said, looking down at Rafael where he sat, leaning into Magnus’s side. 

Alec frowned. “What happened?” He sat up, reaching over to turn his lamp on the same as Magnus’s.

Magnus gently stroked Rafael’s shaggy, black hair out of his face. “Rafael had a nightmare so Max brought him here.” He raised an eyebrow at Alec. “You slept through a lot. You were so tired, Darling.”

Alec slid closer and, without thinking, lifted Rafael into his lap as he settled, arm going around Magnus’s shoulders. “Better keep reading to him, then,” he said, kissing Magnus’s jaw before resting his head against the headboard behind them, letting his eyes fall shut as Magnus went back to reading. He felt Magnus’s head rest against his chest as he read to the children.

When Alec woke up the second time, it was because Max and Rafael were whispering together. Alec looked down and smiled when he saw Magnus was asleep against his shoulder and the boys had taken the book and Max, who was getting really good at reading, was teaching Rafael more words. Alec watched with so much pride as his little boy interacted so kindly with a kid who couldn’t even speak the same language as him as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. Alec pretended to still be sleeping when they turned to look up at him, and he felt as they climbed off of the bed and off of his and Magnus’s laps, heading towards the bedroom door. Alec watched, interestedly, as Max led Rafael out by his hand.

“Where did they run off to?” Magnus asked against his chest and Alec startled. “Wow, I must’ve really seemed asleep if you bought it,” he teased, peeking up at Alec with one big, un-glamoured golden eye. “Think they’re making a mess somewhere?”

Alec grinned. “Probably,” he said, leaning down to kiss Magnus good morning. “Your son can be too adventurous sometimes.”

Magnus smirked. “So he’s my son when he’s being messy, huh? You forget, Darling Alexander, he was your son first, so he probably got his habits from you-“

“I’m far too neat to have given him those habits,” Alec argued, tugging Magnus into a hug. Magnus exhaled heavily, rubbing his cheek against Alec’s bare chest, making Alec shiver slightly at the feeling of stubble on his sensitive skin. Magnus curled his arms tighter around Alec, kissing his sternum and Alec smiled down at him. “I love you so much. Daily reminder.” 

Magnus purred happily, smiling as he pressed his cheek back to Alec’s skin, laying against him like Alec was a giant teddy pillow. “I know you do, my darling Alexander.” He yawned, nose scrunching adorably. “We should get up and go see what they’re up to. Max is enough trouble without a friend to help him cause mischief.”

Alec smiled, petting Magnus’s hair sweetly. “I think he really wants to be friends with Rafael. He’s never got to play with another child around his age. That’s why he’s teaching him English.”

“Oh and isn’t that the cutest thing?” Magnus asked, smiling sweetly as he looked up at Alec. “He just decided ‘this boy doesn’t speak my language so I need to fix that so we can talk’. It’s so precious.” He wiggled excitedly. “We have the best son ever. You, my darling, are the best role model because I know I’m a good person, but that sweet nature is all you.”

Alec grinned. “You can be mean when you want to. I’m not mean.”

“I am not _mean_ ,” Magnus complained, poking him in the middle. “Sassy is not mean.”

Alec chuckled. “You call me sassy, you’re just mean sometimes.”

“No, you, Alexander, are a smartass,” he said with a wink. “Smartass with a great ass, I might add.”

Alec laughed, leaning down to peck Magnus’s lips. “You’re ridiculous and I love it.” 

Magnus opened his mouth to reply, only the sound of laughing children grew loud suddenly and they both looked towards the door. Alec glanced at Magnus, who sighed. “I better go see what’s so funny. Probably shaved the Chairman or something.” He sat up and stretched before sliding off the bed. “Max Lightwood! If you’re pestering Chairman Meow you’re gonna be in so much trouble!” he called, and Alec watched Magnus walking across the room in his pajamas with sheep on them and crazy bedhead and was reminded once again how lucky he really was.

~

Alec cooked breakfast for them while Magnus helped Max and Rafael communicate. It was amazing how fast Rafael was remembering some words, but Magnus explained to him that little children picked up languages faster. When he brought the food to the table, Rafael looked at it all very curiously. “ _Qué es esto?_ ” he asked, holding up a piece of bacon with a dubious look.

“ _Cerdo,_ ,” Magnus explained. “ _Tu no comes cerdo?_ ” he asked.

Rafael shrugged. “ _Nunca he intentado_.” He took a bite and his eyes widened. “Mmmmmmmm,” he said, taking another bite excitedly.

Alec laughed at his face and Magnus grinned. Max looked at the bacon on his plate, then held it up. “So bacon is called ‘cerdo’?” he asked Magnus.

“Well, pork is called ‘cerdo’,” Magnus explained. He smiled at Rafael happily eating bacon out of his left hand while eating eggs with the fork in his right hand. “I think Rafael likes bacon and eggs,” he teased, reaching out to ruffle Rafael’s hair.

Alec smiled sadly. “He’s probably just excited to have good food,” he said in a small, heartbroken whisper to Magnus, who reached out and grabbed his hand comfortingly. 

“Papa, how come you speak Spanish?” Max asked, crunching on a piece of bacon patiently. 

Alec looked at Magnus, who just gave Max a small smile. “I grew up with the Silent Brothers in Spain. When I was your age, or just a little older, they found me a lot like how your dad found you, all alone, and they took me in and took care of me, and I had to learn Spanish like people speak in Spain since I lived there until I was a grown up.”

Max nodded slowly, as if mulling the answer over. “Papa, where’s Spain?” he asked, and Alec grinned at Magnus’s small giggle.

“I’ll show you when you finish eating your breakfast. We can look at it on my big globe in my office,” he said and Max seemed pleased with that answer, though he looked at Alec now.

“Dad, why does Aunt Izzy know Spanish, too?” he asked and Alec grinned.

“Because actually, me and Izzy had grandparents who were from Central America. My mom speaks Spanish and we leaned because of her,” he explained.

Max frowned. “Then how come you can’t talk to Rafael?” he asked and Alec gave him a grumpy look.

“I can talk to him!” he defended. “I’m just not good at it like Izzy or Magnus.” He made a face. “Uncle Jace and I liked training way more than learning.”

Magnus bumped shoulders with him. “It’s alright, Darling. Plenty of second and third generation Latinos don’t speak Spanish.” He smiled at Rafael as he dug into his food. “ _Wow, tú tienes mucha hambre?_ ”

Rafael didn’t answer, he just kept eating, and Alec laughed at his happy little face. “It shouldn’t be so cute to have a starving child at my table,” Alec said, looking guilty and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“You’re definitely a terrible person,” he teased. 

“Papa, can I learn Spanish?” Max asked, and Magnus gave him a surprised but delighted look.

Magnus nodded. “Sure, Blueberry. I can start teaching you. I’m sure Aunt Izzy will help out,” he said, then leaned forward some, lowering his voice comically. “We can try and help your dad get better, too,” he said and Max giggled at the playfully offended look Alec gave Magnus. Magnus turned to Rafael. “Rafael, _te gustaría ayudarme a enseñarles español_?”

Rafael smiled and nodded. “ _Sí!_ ” he said excitedly. He reached over and patted Max on the arm a few times, then pointed to his food. “ _Esto es un huevo,_ Max,” he said, and Max frowned, looking down at his plate. 

“Eggs?” Max asked, pointing at them and Rafael nodded eager.

“Huevos!” he said and Max looked at Magnus.

“Huevos is eggs?” Magnus nodded and Max clapped, turning to Rafael. “Huevos!” he said, pointing at the eggs, and Rafael joined him in clapping.

It was amazing to both Alec and Magnus that the same little boy who still had the marks from where a vampire kept him for ages and fed on him was able to bounce back and smile and laugh just a day later. “Kids are so resilient,” Magnus said softly and Alec nodded.

“I have a good feeling about his recovery,” he murmured, watching Max and Rafael point at things and say it in each other’s language. “The older I get, the more shocked I am by how strong kids are. As long as he’s got somebody to help him out when this initial excitement of being safe finally wears off, I bet he’ll be just fine. Probably even less messed up than Jace’s childhood left him.”

Magnus smirked. “Yeah, well your brother isn’t as tough as this kid now,” he teased. He laid his head on Alec’s shoulder. “You should call James. See if Rafael can stay here today instead of go back to the Institute while you guys search for any family he might have. He will be so much more comfortable playing with another child and in a home rather than stuck sitting in that cold, adult-filled Institute.”

Alec nodded. “Good idea.” He pressed his lips to Magnus’s forehead before looking back at the kids, content to spend a little while longer watching his son and the boy that survived so much pain simply playing together, like children should, having a fun time that erased the line between a life full of love and a life full of torture and left behind nothing but two little kids just being kids. 

~

After weeks of searching, Alec stared blankly at his father when he delivered the final verdict from the Clave. “So… that’s it? Nowhere else to look?” Alec asked helplessly.

Robert shook his head. “He doesn’t have anybody,” he said with finality. “His parents had left the Clave and there’s no records that they had any Mundane family either.”

Alec rubbed his hands over his face. “Shit. After everything he’s been through, there’s nobody for him.”

“How’s he doing?” Robert asked and Alec shrugged as they turned and started walking.

“He’s doing great, considering what he went through. He has nights without bad dreams these days, but the first week for sure it was bad,” Alec said gravely. “Seven weeks out, he’s still having bad dreams. I’m not surprised, but it’s just really hard on him. I had hoped he had some family out there that could help him settle. People who remember his parents and how he was raised before that vampire got him.”

Robert shook his head. “His parents were all he had. It’s horrible,” he said solemnly. He clapped Alec on the shoulder. “Now comes the difficult part. We have to find him a family,” he said and Alec tensed. “I was hoping maybe you and Magnus… well, he’s already developed a comfortable relationship with you two,” Robert said slowly. “I understand, however, that another child, especially one with so many problems, is a lot to just hand off. So everyone agreed that, rather than just appoint you as his Nephilim guardian, we would give you a few days to really think about it.” 

Alec snorted. “And how many of them didn’t want me anywhere near him?” he asked and Robert scoffed.

“Yeah, well, when it comes to a Nephilim child that has suffered what he did, his comfort and safety is more important than prejudices. It was a hard battle to win to get enough people to agree, but the fact of it is that your record speaks for itself,” Robert said, and Alec smiled faintly at the pride in his father’s voice. “And they all know that, while James is the lead of this Institute in name, you still do most of the actual leading in spite of them not giving it to you.” He hesitated. “Actually, the only reason I did question giving the child to you was because of that,” he admitted.

Alec frowned. “What?”

Robert sighed, looking troubled. “The child lost his parents once. As one of the best Shadowhunters living today, there is always the risk that you’ll be killed by demons. If you take him and then get killed in a fight, that’s twice he’s lost parents.” He shook his head. “It’s a risk all Shadowhunters with children take, but it doesn’t usually happen twice.” He raised a finger. “But, in the end, I decided to side with the ones voting to let you keep him. He’s lived with you for nearly two months. Shuffling him around unnecessarily will set back any progress he’s had with healing from the trauma he’s experienced.”

Alec nodded seriously. “I agree. And I’ll be sure to really talk it over with Magnus tonight. It’s a big deal, so I can’t just be rash with Rafael like I was with Max.” He shook his head. “Rafael has other options, and with Max, I didn’t have other people to worry about like I do now. Magnus has had to back off on clients these past weeks because he’s got to spend more time looking after Rafael, so the long term impact on Magnus’s life is bigger. Also, Max has to potentially deal with sharing his parents, not just having a guest for a while. It’s all a big deal.”

“Of course,” Robert said. “Give it a few days, make your decision, and really weigh it out. I can promise you, it wasn’t easy suddenly accommodating Jace and your mother and I always knew that if anything happened to his father, we would be his guardians. It was something planned for and it still was a struggle to juggle an orphaned child joining you and Isabelle. So just make sure you’ve really considered everything before giving us your answer. Don’t worry about a deadline.”

~

Alec watched Max and Rafael playing, and coloring, and watching TV together especially closely that night. Alec knew that Magnus had noticed him paying too much attention to the kids, but thankfully, Magnus held off on asking about it until after they put the kids to bed. Alec came back from tucking them in and Magnus was waiting on the couch with a glass of wine. 

“Alright, Darling,” Magnus said, patting the couch beside him. Alec let out a heavy sigh as he crawled onto the couch and laid down, putting his head in Magnus’s lap. Magnus smiled down at him, stroking his bangs back from his face. “Ready to tell me what’s been eating at you all evening?” Magnus asked.

Alec looked up at him, eyes tracing the familiar lines of Magnus’s face for a moment before speaking. “Rafael has no family. They finally finished searching yesterday and today they made their official conclusions.” He shook his head. “There’s nobody.”

Magnus let out a breath, eyes showing hurt that Alec knew all too well. “God, that poor baby.” He resumed stroking his fingers through Alec’s hair. “I wasn’t expecting it, not really, but I hoped so badly that he would have family in the Mundane world that might know him.”

“I know,” Alec agreed. He took his hand from his belly and toyed with Magnus’s shirt absently, watching the buttons shimmer. “The Clave is leaning towards giving guardianship to me.”

Magnus’s hand stilled and when Alec looked up his face showed surprise. “The _Clave_ , the body that took the institute from you, wants to give you a Nephilim child?” he asked and Alec nodded with a wry grin.

“Apparently there was a big opposition to that, what with me being the gay, Downworlder-loving scum I am, and my dad actually was hesitant just because of how active I am in hunts so there’s a risk Rafael could lose his parents twice, but in the end, the wellbeing of a Nephilim child was put ahead of their bigotry,” he explained. “He’s become comfortable with me and in my home so they are willing to give him to us in spite of my family of warlocks.”

Magnus smiled slowly. “Well at least they’re putting Rafael first.”

Alec nodded reaching up to capture Magnus’s hand. He pulled it to his chest, stroking his thumb along Magnus’s knuckles as he looked up at him. “What do you think? It’s such a big change. These past several weeks have been good and all, but another child permanently is definitely life changing.” 

Magnus rolled his head against the back of the couch as he let out a breath. “Yeah. I’ll have to remodel the apartment for sure. Rafael can’t sleep on a cot in Max’s room if we do this permanently. Also, he’s older than Max, which will be a whole different experience to what we’re used to. We haven’t reached that point yet in our parenting experience. It will take a little while to really reach the point where we love him as much as we love Max, which is so hard to think about, because I couldn’t stand if he realized that we don’t love him the way we love Max yet.”

“That’s actually the one thing I’m not worried about,” Alec said, looking up at Magnus. He shook his head. “You loved Max within weeks of knowing him, I know you did. And I loved Max within days. It may take a while, but I have no doubts at all that we can love him.” He smiled up at Magnus tenderly. “You, Magnus Bane, have more love in you than anybody I’ve ever known. Your heart has no boundaries.”

Magnus smiled brightly. “And you, Alexander, are still the sweetest man alive.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Alec’s lips before sitting up again, resuming stroking Alec’s hair. “It’s difficult enough to take turns looking after the kids and both of us working,” he said, going back to the point. “I think we can manage it, but it will take some work. Also we still haven’t decided what to do about Max going to school, but Rafael is old enough we can’t just keep holding off like we have with Max. It’s illogical to think we can enroll them in a Mundane school, but while I have plenty of money saved up, we can’t very well expect to afford employing private tutors for two children for their entire school-age future.” He grimaced. “Also, having to introduce Rafael to the prejudices that his kind has against me and Max would be difficult when he has never lived in his culture.”

Alec nodded. “But do you think we’re the right choice?” he asked Magnus. “I know that he’s comfortable with us, but what if he could be better off with another Shadowhunter family? I don’t want him to leave, but what if we’re wrong for him?”

“I want him,” Magnus confessed and Alec looked at him expectantly. Magnus sighed and shrugged as he played with Alec’s hair again. “Max is so much happier to have another child. I didn’t ever really think about expanding our family, because we can’t exactly adopt the normal ways, but Max has so much fun. They’re such good friends, even though they both speak minimal amounts of each other’s language. I would hate to take that away from both of them without it being to give Rafael to his long, lost family. Since he has none, taking Max from him and him from Max would hurt them both so much. And I enjoy having another child. Even if I haven’t been treating him like our child, it’s just really nice to care for two kids.”

Alec smiled and nodded. “I think all three of us in this family are happier with Rafael here,” he agreed. He gave Magnus a shy grin. “I want him, too. I have all these worries and all these insecurities, but the bottom line is that I want him. He’s happy like it is now. I don’t see any reason compelling enough to upset his life now that he’s finally starting to grow comfortable and start to feel safe.”

Magnus’s smile grew wider. “So are we going to do this? Did we just decide we’re going to adopt Rafael?” he asked, and Alec nodded, beaming up at him.

“I think so, yeah.” Magnus laughed with a gentle, tender smile and hugged Alec against his middle. Alec rolled over and slid his arms around Magnus’s middle, tucking his face into Magnus’s belly. “I can tell my dad what we decided tomorrow. And then once the officially grant me guardianship in a day or so, we can tell Rafael the good news.” Alec looked up suddenly. “He will think it’s good news, right? I mean… he wants us, doesn’t he?”

“Darling, he wants safety and comfort,” Magnus said bluntly. “He enjoys living here. He enjoys our family. He enjoys the fact we are giving him a life he hasn’t been able to have in his short years on this earth. It may take him a while to love us like parents, but he would rather stay with us and Max than go away to a whole new set of strangers, and I would bet money on that.”

Alec relaxed some and snuggled into Magnus again. “I thank the Angel every single day for giving me you and Max,” he commented offhandedly and Magnus smiled, leaning over to kiss Alec slowly.

“I love you, too, my darling.”

~

Magnus was very excited to tell the boys their good news. Alexander had called as soon as he was granted official guardianship of Rafael, and all afternoon Magnus wanted nothing more than to tell the boys. He decided to distract himself by calling Izzy and letting her take them out for ice cream while he remodeled the apartment magically. The whole structure was magical by now, so it was nothing too difficult. He didn’t change the layout too much, but he did alter the shape of the apartment so that they could add Rafael a bedroom and a guest room just in case the future held a need for Isabelle or Jace to stay the night to help them out with the kids. 

When Isabelle got home, she had clearly heard from Alec, because she gave Magnus a knowing look and hugged him tight when she left. Magnus managed to keep the kids from going down the hall so they could have a ‘big reveal’ later. 

When Alec arrived, Alec went and changed and then immediately, they called Rafael and Max to come sit down so they could talk to them. Alec and Magnus sat on the coffee table, right in front of the boys as they sat on the couch, so that they could reach out for them when the time came. “Max, Rafael, Magnus and I wanted to talk to you about something,” Alec began. He looked between them and then at Magnus before continuing. “You know how Rafael has been staying with us while we try and figure out where he belongs?” he asked, waiting for Magnus to translate for Rafael, who, though he was getting better at English every day, still didn’t really understand well. 

Max suddenly sat up straighter, looking horrified. “Oh no, is he going away now?!” he asked, reaching out to grab Rafael, arms around him, arms and all, as if to hang onto him. “I don’t want Rafi to go!” he said, bottom lip quivering as he leaned his head against Rafael’s bony shoulder.

Magnus shushed Rafael’s worried questions. “No, my little Blueberry, no, just let your Dad finish,” he comforted, putting a hand on Max’s little knee.

Alec smiled. “That’s the thing, Max. The Clave decided that Rafael can stay with us for good,” he said. “They granted me official guardianship today, which means that we’re now his family,” he explained. “Rafael is your new brother, now, Max.” He reached out and took Rafael’s little hand in his. “We’re your parents now, Rafael.”

Magnus finished translating about the time Max un-froze from his shock and gasped before diving at Rafael to hug him. “RAFI! RAFI WE’RE BROTHERS NOW!” Max cried excitedly, hugging the crap out of Rafael.

Rafael looked to be in shock and Magnus’s heart sank for a moment before he looked at Alec and Magnus and tears began to form in his eyes. “ _Mi- Mis padres_?” he asked and Magnus nodded eagerly. 

“ _Y tu hermano_ ,” he added, and Rafael seemed to finally have it settle in. A big smile spread across his little face and he finally returned Max’s hug, bouncing excitedly. When he turned back, he held out his arms and Magnus immediately slid to his knees, curling his arms around both boys. “You’re both my babies now,” he laughed, looking over at Alec, who wasted no time pulling all three of them into his arms, one hand on each child with Magnus wedged against his chest. Magnus pressed a kiss to each boy’s head and then tipped his head back to look up at Alec.

Alec leaned down and kissed him, nuzzling their noses together. “Well that went well,” he said, and Magnus laughed wetly, unable to help the emotions building as he continued to hold his boys while Alexander held them all. 

“And,” Magnus said. “I’ve got a surprise for all of you!” he said and two little heads popped up excitedly, making him grin. “While you guys were all gone today, I changed the apartment so that now, Rafael has his very own bedroom. We can start buying him some stuff to decorate it with first thing tomorrow!” he said, and Alec looked surprised.

“You already made him a room?” he asked, and Magnus nodded.

“ _Vamos a ver la habitación de Rafael!_ ,” he cried excitedly, and both kids cheered, even Max, since he had learned enough Spanish to understand that part well enough to be excited to go see Rafael’s new bedroom. 

They let the boys go running down the hall and Magnus took Alec’s hand, smiling brightly when Alec tugged him not only to his feet, but into his arms. Magnus looped his arms around Alec, who held him in a warm, loving embrace while they both just looked at each other for the longest. Magnus knew that everything he wanted to say, Alec knew just by looking into his eyes. Magnus could read all of the same sentiments in Alec’s eyes, choosing to stay there for just a bit longer while listening to the boys running around Rafael’s new bedroom, checking it out together. 

Looking into Alexander’s eyes full of love and devotion while listening to the beautiful sound of _their children_ laughing down the hall was the happiest moment Magnus had experienced in all of the long centuries of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm thinking there will be more of this, but I'm curious about what next. The only two ideas I have left are Magnus and Alec having a REALLY BIG fight and showing how they have to deal with being in a fight while raising children and not having the luxury of the classic 'ignore each other until the anger fades' tropes, AND the other idea is that they get married <3<3<3
> 
> So very big differences there, lol. 
> 
> Any suggestions?


End file.
